Buy it... on the Intrada Records score-only album if you generally support
the label's efforts to promote Bruce Broughton's career and appreciate even the
composer's less inspired action material.

Avoid it... on the 1998 TVT Soundtrax album at all costs, for it serves very
little purpose for the film score community.

Editorial Review:

Written
4/1/98, Revised 8/28/08 - Filmtracks Rank: #248

Broughton

Lost in Space: (Bruce Broughton) Although the 1998 large-scale
studio adaptation of Irwin Allen's famous concept of Lost in Space performed
considerably well at the time of its release, the film failed to become enough of a
success to sustain a franchise based on the adventuresome Robinson family. New Line
Cinema effectively connected the film to its 1960's inspiration, with numerous
cameos and all the major character intact. Lacking, unfortunately, was any sense of
an organized script, likely the result of numerous problems that plagued Lost in
Space throughout its making. The production schedule was nearly out of control
(even within a week of the film's release) due to the endless tinkering with the
CGI special effects featured throughout the picture. Inevitably, the score by
composer Bruce Broughton became an adventure in and of itself. After the legendary
Jerry Goldsmith (an Irwin Allen veteran, alongside John Williams, who composed
music for the original TV show) left the project and Mark Isham's recorded score
was rejected, Broughton was given only two weeks to provide a large action score
with a fully orchestral ensemble. Popular expectation of Broughton's task
anticipated the adventure of his famous modern Western scores (and namely,
Silverado) in space. And while he made a valiant attempt to do just that,
the circumstances of the recording were definitely not in his favor. Every time
Broughton thought he was done with the score, he was continuously called back to
rescore scenes that were altered due to special effects additions or the complete
rearrangement of scenes. Perhaps this additional work was favorable to a hack job
of the music in the film's final editing process, but the result of Broughton's
effort is an underachieving score that presents a watered-down title theme and
little fright to represent Spider Smith, the villain of the film. Indeed,
Broughton's score goes through all the moves and provides the basic soundscape
necessary while never offering more than that minimum in convincing style. Part of
the blame for this result rests on Broughton, but also of note is a sometimes
lackluster performance by the Sinfonia of London in portions of the score that
required more energy and exuberance. The action material is somewhat reminiscent of
some of his Western work; an adventure deep in space isn't that much different from
a Western scenario, but Broughton largely abandons the opportunity.

Short of adapting Williams' original theme, there was some
expectation that Broughton would compose a whopping, grand Western theme that could
stick in the mind long after the film was through (a prerequisite for any franchise
scenario). Instead, Broughton's title theme fizzles during its own introduction and
reappears rarely throughout the effort. Other issues exists with how the score was
dubbed into the film, with a constant battle between the music, sound effects, and
dialogue often leaving the dialogue in a more difficult, shadowy situation. For its
own part, the fully orchestral score rises and falls at all the right points,
workmanlike even in its less inspired sequences and filling in the spaces that the
sound effects failed to. It could be argued, though, this equation is backwards;
the sound effects should be secondary to the main theme on screen. The non-descript
nature of this score is extremely disappointing, especially when noting that
Broughton has produced more convincing action and thriller cues for such trashy
mid-1990's films as Shadow Conspiracy. The problems with the score were
initially accentuated by a terrible, poorly-packaged album release by TVT Soundtrax
at the time of the film's debut. This product provided the film music community
with another wretched combination of dreadful songs and average score selections, a
format that was just emerging at the time. The songs offered on this album
represent the very worst of the modern techno genre, not to mention some of the
most obnoxious electronica of the 1990's had to offer. Apollo Four Forty absolutely
mutilates Williams' original television theme for Lost in Space, mixing it
in with irritatingly repetitive sequences of electronic garble and random quotes
from the film. The distinguishing aspect of this collection of songs (which
constitute well over half of the total CD time) is the fact that all of them are
intolerable, a difficult feat to accomplish in any genre. After 35 minutes of these
songs, less than half an hour of Broughton's score was presented on that album.
Luckily for the film score collectors, Broughton's long-time partnership with the
Intrada Records label led to a score-only release early the next year, pushing the
amount of score material up beyond an hour in length. The difficulties with the
score remain, however, because the Intrada release simply confirms the inherent
problems with Broughton's rushed work. It's a piece that suffices at the most,
interests in a few cues, and disappoints in its majority. Broughton collectors
should have no reason at all to seek the disgraceful TVT album, and they should
still approach the Intrada album, unfortunately, with caution. Amazon.com Price Hunt: CD or Download

 1. Lost in Space - Theme - performed by Apollo Four Forty (3:27)
 2. I'm Here... Another Planet - performed by Juno Reactor (4:21)
 3. Busy Child - performed by The Crystal Method (7:27)
 4. Bang On! - performed by Propellerheads (5:47)
 5. Everybody Needs a 303 - performed by Fatboy Slim (5:49)
 6. Will & Penny's Theme - performed by Apollo Four Forty (3:22)
 7. Song for Penny - performed by Death in Vegas (5:35)
 8. Lost in Space - performed by Space (3:30)

The first track of the TVT album includes dialogue and John Williams'
original television theme. The insert for that album includes no information
about the score, and the track titles for the score cues are listed only on the
most inner page of the insert. The Intrada album contains a note from Bruce
Broughton regarding the score.